Say Goodbye and Meet Again
by Slayer of Demise
Summary: Sequel to "In the End". After Barri and Zero return from the Magicant Spell, Zero is adopted by Lucas and Claus in the real world, but with no memory of anything from the fabricated world. Both must adjust to all the strange changes, all while tragedies and surprises from their past and the lives of those around them lurk in the shadows.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One: Happy Birthday

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Hello there ladies (and mentlegens), and welcome to the third installment of the, uh… this series. I will say it right off the bat that this could possibly (and will likely) become a +100 chapter story. Yeah, this is definitely going to take a while, so I might be updating a little more, depending how much I've got written out. I'm already at chapter eleven, and that's only just the intro to all of this. There's going to be sooooo much shit hitting the fan. Sooooo much shit. Enjoy your shit, take it with pride. Also, for reference in terms of accents of towns (don't ask why, this just happened), Onett is a light Chicago, Twoson is Boston, Threed is neutral, Fourside is New York, Winters is Scottish/English, Summers is California, and Dalaam is Vietnamese. Again, don't ask why. It happened because reasons.

_**DISCLAIMER: Sit down now, let me tell you a tale where I DON'T OWN THIS DAMN SERIES. DAMMIT.**_

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_Zero POV, February 14__th_

Whilst sitting in the patient's waiting room, still in my hospital garb and twiddling my thumbs restlessly, I could sense the suffocating anxiety floating around in my head. It wasn't necessarily bad, I was just feeling… confused, curious even. All I knew about my current situation was that I'd been comatose for several weeks. I had been found between my home town, Twoson, and the town I was in now, Threed, by someone named Claus who had been driving by and spotted me unconscious in a tunnel. It was strange, but this person was suspiciously familiar to me. Claus… I'm positive that I've never met him before, but I knew his name before it was ever even told to me. The same goes for his twin brother Lucas, I highly doubt I have any relation to him either. It's possible that I could have seen them at a store or something like that, but that doesn't seem really significant to me. I could always tell if we've had any sort of meeting with that little "gift" I have, but I don't like using that unless it's serious. There've been times when I've goofed around with it and learned things I shouldn't have, so I don't want to deal with that again.

I was beginning to realize that my brother was nowhere to be found. I understood that he hated being in public places, _especially _hospitals, but he'd normally stay by my side after something like this, despite his habits and insecurities about his "condition". _He's okay, I know he is. I doubt he's in any trouble, and he can take care of himself a lot better than I can. _Another thing that didn't settle well with me was the details of my comatose period. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me, or at least nothing that could trigger that effect. I was eating normally, I didn't have an iron deficiency, and any injuries I had weren't at all life threatening… they just couldn't find anything abnormal. They wrote it off as exhaustion, despite there being any serious symptoms of that. Something had definitely happened to me, but I don't even know what it could be.

I shivered at the chilly hospital air; it was always too cold in them. I was like my brother; I didn't like hospitals at all. People die in them all the time, and they're always filled with people who're sick and unhappy. Hospitals always remind me of the accidents, and that's something I don't like to think about. From the still, quiet corridor, two sets of footsteps echoed loud and clearly. At the sound of voices, my stomach back flipped with butterflies. "-o you're okay with the idea?" "Sure." "You don't really sound like it…" "I am." "Okay, if you say so…"

The two twins appeared in the doorway, Claus waved to me in a friendly manner, "Hey, it's Zero, right? Are you feeling okay?" I nodded bashfully, sensing my anxiety heighten when they sat across from me in the plastic chairs. Lucas, the stoic looking one, seemed lost in his thoughts, or simply didn't seem to be paying much attention. It was hard to tell which, but he also looked to be tired and bored, if nothing else. His brother appeared to be the exact opposite in personality, judging by his sweaty looking hands and nervous, shaking eyes. "We were worried that you might've gotten seriously hurt since you've been in a coma for half a month," the red-head chuckled neurotically, "So it's good to see that you're okay."

I peered down at my hands shyly, talking like a quiet, little mouse, "Oh, um… you don't have to be concerned about me. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble or was of any inconvenience to you two…" "H-Hey, no need to be so negative, it was no problem at all!", Claus said frantically, waving his hands in panic, "We were really glad to help you, right Lucas?" The sleepy young man merely blinked blankly at his brother, "Hm?" Claus huffed in exhaustion, discouraged by the blonde's disinterest, "Oh… it's nothing."

They seemed to be a bit of an odd pair, just like me and my brother. There was also something nagging me about them, like an annoying tug at the back of my mind. I got this strange feeling from them, the same one I would get when I was around mom, dad, and my brother. _Maybe they're like me, but… _"Thanks for being so nice to me," I mumbled tacitly to them, "I'm used to people taking advantage of me or pushing me around, so I'm grateful to you both." "Oh, well," Claus awkwardly hummed, "We were hoping to ask you something, though the choice is up to you." "What are you talking about?" "We wanted to know if you would accept the idea of us wanting to adopt you.", he explained, caution in his voice.

_They want to adopt me?_ "Really?", I lifted my head with a puzzled, dumbstruck face, "Why would you want to adopt me?" "Oh, er, we just want to make sure you're okay and everything. I mean, you were just in a coma, and things got really crazy and out of hand for a while, s-" "You weren't happy living at that orphanage," Lucas interrupted his frenzied brother with his plain, neutral tone, looking right at me, "Right?" _He has a point, I just get picked on all the time, and no one there actually cares what happens to me. _"You're right, but… I don't want to make you feel forced to take me in just because of my situation. You've already been so kind to me, so I don't want to cause you any more trouble than I already have."

"It's alright, it's no trouble at all! Besides, we want to do this, so it's not forced or anything.", the green-eyed man said quickly, his tone jumpy. _He really seems to really have his heart set on the idea, and I don't want to disappoint them. I suppose I could say yes… _"Okay", I hesitantly nodded, "If that's what you really want, then I'm okay with it."

v(-_-)v

Because I was in an (oddly) stable condition, I was able to be discharged after about two hours. We had to drive all the way to the orphanage in Twoson to fill out all the paperwork and other formalities that came with adoption. Lucas and Claus live in the far out end of Threed, so that meant taking another forty-five minute ride back into the town. A sick feeling passed over me when we drove by the graveyard on the outskirts of town, and I didn't feel any more comfortable after we'd left that area behind us. _Never thought I'd see that place like this…_

I was confused to see Claus maneuvering the Mustang down a path that seemed to lead up into a silent, lonely forest. "Why do you live so far outside of the main part of town?", I innocently inquired. "There isn't a lot of city noise out here, and it's pretty peaceful," the more talkative twin explained, having had calmed down from earlier, "Living out here is a lot easier for us." He was right, the half matured redwood trees and overgrown greenery gave the forest an overall serene setting. Not exactly a completely still place with the few forest critters roaming around, but still a calming place to be. _I can get used to living out here, but I'm not sure how Barri will like it…_

Soon we came to a clearing where a simple, regular home sat on its own. There was only one story to the laid out home, but there appeared to be more than enough room for an attic beneath the large red roof. Though the grass looked like it hadn't been cut in a while, and some winter lilies lined the walkway and the driveway. "It isn't much, and it's really old," the ginger sighed, "But it's home." "That's okay, I think it looks really nice.", I said deliriously, doing my best to stay awake. "Great then," he laughed, parking the car. They both offered to carry my two duffle bags, but I didn't want to be a big bother.

The inside was just as simple, but there was a lazy mess around the living room from sticky notes scattered about the floor, and dishes lined the kitchen counters and the island. "Eh heh, sorry for all this crap," Claus sheepishly chuckled, "We're lazy bums sometimes, so things tend to get really untidy." "That's okay," I told him, "I wouldn't mind helping you clean sometime if you need any help." "Really? You don't have to do that, it isn't that big of a deal." "That's okay, I actually like cleaning, and I'm really thorough too." "But I-" He seemed ready to protest, but he stopped and turned his head towards the hallway, sighing tiredly, "Oh, there he goes again. Lucas is always locking himself up in his room as soon as he gets home." "Huh?" I looked around, realizing Lucas had vanished from the room. _I didn't even notice him leave. He's really quiet, he hasn't even said much since we left the hospital…_

Oh well, he's probably got some homework to do anyway. C'mon, I'll show you your room." Down the stretched out corridor, between the bathroom and a study was a barren, unused bedroom. There was a small bed with out-of-the-box new sheets already laid out, resting in the corner with a tiny, old nightstand. The one window in the room had one of those big, half hexagonal ledges covered with some striped throw pillows laying across the wood. In front of the bed's food board was an ancient looking chest that reminded me of the ones used in old European books, and across from that on the other side of the room was a bookshelf half empty with its worn contents carefully aligned.

"I know it's really crappy," the young man mumbled, "We only ever used it as a guest room, so it's pretty small, bu-" "It's perfect," I said quickly, lying and not wanting him to feel bad, "I don't take up a lot of space, and rooms like this are really cozy." For a moment, he looked unsure, but he seemed to relax, "Er, okay then. I'm glad you're okay with it. Has anyone ever told you that you're sort of…?" "Strange for a kid?", I suggested. "Yeah, that sounds right." I shrugged, "That depends on your definition of strange, but yes." He nodded in acknowledgement, "Alright then. I've got to go pick something up from the store, but I won't be gone too long. Lucas's room is at the end of the all if you need anything." "Okay. I'll just start unpacking."

With that, he was out. I closed the door, leaning back on it with a drawn out sight. _"Cozy?" This place is more unsettling than anything. It looks like our old room… _I shook my head, trying to get my negative thoughts out of my mind. _Why do I keep thinking about that? I really shouldn't, it's not healthy. _I lugged my bags over to the chest, organizing my clothes and other belongings within it. I was rubbing my eyes like crazy midway through, feeling awkward when I put my sunglasses off to the side. _I'm surprised they didn't ask about my glasses like everyone always does. I'm actually glad they didn't._ "So we're living here now?", grumbled a familiar voice by my side, "It doesn't look too bad."

I looked in the voice's direction, discovering my brother sitting beside my other bag. He always had looked a lot like me, I was his twin, so it made sense. We had a few differences, considering his "condition". Instead of creepy, yellow eyes like mine, there was nothing but a white stare in place of his irises. He also lacked a solid form and eternally looked the age of six, but those were normal characteristics for those with his "condition". I call it a condition, but I honestly don't understand what he is. He's not a ghost because he still has his memories and personality, and only Tony and I can see him and others with the same traits, but he doesn't know how to define him either. I sometimes think he's just in some sort of odd limbo, able to live in this world but unable to touch or feel anything tangible. I can't help but feel as though guilty for him being like this, it is my fault, after all.

"Barri? Where have you been? I was worried.", my pouting was hushful. He idly apologized, "Sorry, I guess I was sort of… sleep walking? I'm not actually sure what happened, but I _was_ here the whole time and I heard everything that happened. There was some weird blackout, so I don't remember what happened to us. Anyway, at least we aren't in Twoson anymore." I arched a brow at him, feeling concerned, "But now we're in _Threed._ I'm worried about you." "I know," the raven-haired child frowned, crossing his arms, "But I'll be fine, trust me. If anything, you should be worried about yourself. You know it hurts you more than me." I wasn't convinced by what he said, but then again, I'm usually not. I shrugged, folding another pair of jeans, "I know. I'll just have to grin and bear it." He also didn't seem to buy into my idea, but he didn't say anything about it. He usually doesn't.

"Barri, you don't remember anything after we snuck out, do you? I'm not actually sure what happened, but I have the feeling it was something important." My brother looked away doubtfully, his voice changing to a slightly higher pitch, "Er, no. Not really, my memory is fuzzy too. We must have had some weird dizzy spell." Barri is a terrible liar, and h knows that too. He didn't like lying, he usually did it whenever he was trying to surprise someone or keep a secret, or even protect someone or something. That's why I never asked about it, he always had his reasons, and I was bound to find out the truth one way or another.

_I can tell living here is going to be hard, and it's going to take some time to get used to. I'll have to go to a new school, memorize the town, __try__ not to stand out… it'll be crazy, but I just have to grin and bear it._

_Claus POV_

When I returned from my trip to town and went to check on Zero, the boy was half asleep in front of the chest with a very… interesting looking apparition next to him. _Who…?_ Doing my best to ignore the transparent child's presence (for the moment), I focused on the solid one who looked ready to flop in bed, "Hey Zero, I'm back." The boy gazed up, seeming to be drowsy and dazed, "Hm? Oh, er… welcome back." _I can't blame the kid for being so tired, today's been crazy for him. _"Good to see you're still awake," I dug through the plastic bag filled with some supermarket food, "I would've made one for you myself, but things were really hectic today." The boy looked a bit confused when I pulled out a small container with a personal sized vanilla cake. "Today's your birthday, right?"

Zero's face went bright with embarrassment, "Oh, I… I didn't even remember that…" "That's okay, at least someone did for you," I laughed, "I think it's pretty cool having a birthday on Valentine's Day, I bet all the girls give you extra gifts." He bashfully giggled, trying to sound indifferent, "Heh, not really. I've never been really popular with anyone, they usually just think I'm an annoying brat. I haven't really celebrated my birthday in a few years, so it's easy to forget…" I knew I had a worried expression, he looked worried too, but a lot of people would be concerned about hearing something like that. _What kid forgets their own birthday? The adoption papers said that he's been in that orphanage for three or four years, and he doesn't have any known blood relatives… We should try doing more for him._

"Are you okay, Claus?", Zero asked, "You look really tired." _"He looks like he's getting sick…"_ He was probably right, I've been out a lot today, and I could feel a migraine ready to strike soon. "I'm alright," I lied, "I changed up my sleeping schedule a few days ago, and I'm still used to sleeping in earlier. I'll be just fine." It was easy to tell he didn't buy it, but he didn't bother to say anything about it. _He's really an odd kid… not exactly in a bad way, but just peculiar… _

I handed him the min cake with a grin, "Anyway, I know today was sort of crazy, but I hope you can get some rest. We'll see if we can go out and do something tomorrow, g'night." Before he could protest against my plans (I had the sneaking suspicion that he would want to), I left his room and headed for my office. I plopped myself down on the plump loveseat beside the desk, yawning like a groggy bear. _Ugh, I've still got some work to get done. Kuma's definitely going to kick my ass if I start slacking off again…_

The back of my hand draped over my forehead, feeling a cold sweat on my heated skin. The stinging in my head started off dull, but now it was coming back with a sharp bite. _Ugh… I guess going out again wasn't such a good idea, but I had to do something for the kid's tenth. Oh well, I'll be fine… He seems like a really smart kid, I guess other kids must have been jealous and picked on him a lot. Then there was that ghost with him, I'm worried about that… I get the feeling that raising a kid like him is going to be really interesting._

Releasing the bag from my fingers to let it drop on the floor, I sat up to reach for my reading glasses resting on the side table. I wiped the glass with the hem of my shirt before pushing the spectacles on my nose. I puttered out another sigh, stretching my arms lazily, "Oh well, off to work again."


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Books and Sailors

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I have the blazing urge to sing "Feel Good Inc.". I don't know why. Gonna go do some karaoke. And eat potatoes. Sooooo many potatoes. Mm, double baked. Also, expect slow updates because I'm a lazy typist and I am balls deep in school work. Fuck Chemistry.

_**DISCLAIMER: NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE.**_

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_Zero POV, February 15__th_

On Sunday morning, I woke up later than I usually would at about eleven. I managed to sleep surprisingly well considering I was sleeping in a less worn and used bed. I'd have to get used to it, but it wasn't bad in any sense. I took my toothbrush, along with other bodily supplies, from my nearly void bag and headed for the bathroom to take care of my hygiene. It was strange not having to use a bigger bathroom with seven other people in the room as well, and I was grateful for the ample privacy. After the tasks were done, I lugged my feet down the narrow hall and dragged myself into the kitchen. Lucas was there, gathering ingredients and utensils by the stove for breakfast. "Morning…", my voice was still timid. He didn't turn to see me, only grunting tiredly in acknowledgement. _I guess he isn't a morning person._

I heaved myself up on a tall stool by the island, leaning on the table top with a lazy huff. _Good thing I'm not the only one. _Lucas set a pan on the aged stove, clicking on the burner that made more of a squeaking noise than quick clicks. He spoke to me with his neutral tone, pouring a mixture of eggs and seasonings into the steaming pan, "What do you want on your omelet?" "Oh, um," I wasn't expecting an offer of choice, considering I was used to being given what was premade, "I'm not picky, so anything's fine…" He didn't respond with anything, he only sprinkled thin strips of cheddar and mozzarella on the fluffy eggs, as silent as he was last night. _He doesn't seem all that talkative, but at least he's nice._

When he made three plates of omelets, he set them on the island and handed one to me. He put in a lot of cheese, onions, and tiny specks of bacon in mine, which gave it a strong, but salty and smooth flavor. _They're almost as good as what mom used to make, but I guess I'm not used to home cooked meals anymore. _Just as I expected, Lucas didn't say much as he ate, just staring down at his plate and inaudibly chewing his food. Midway through the quiet breakfast, groggy moaning could be heard from the hallway. Moments later, the half-asleep redhead crawled out from the corridor, readjusting his crooked reading glasses and muttering curses to himself. _He must have been up really late…_ He slumped over the empty stool, leaning his arms against the island top, "Why does morning exist? I just want to sleep all day…" "Are you okay?", I cautiously inquired. Claus just sighed into his hands drowsily, not seeming too well, "Yeah, just stupid work stuff. Work stuff sucks." Lucas sat up from his seat, getting a mug from a messy cabinet and filling it with coffee from the premade pot. He slid the dark beverage across the counter top until it lightly bumped into his brother's forehead.

The ginger lifted his head, sighing contently as he pulled the cup towards him, "Mm, thanks, bro." "How late did you stay up?", I asked. "Um… I don't really know," he sleepily rubbed his eyelids, yawning, "I had a few documents to finish and that took me a few hours. You don't have to worry though, I do this pretty much all the time, though I guess I did have some extra work pile up." _Claus and Lucas were really busy with all my stuff yesterday, I didn't even think of things they had to take care of for themselves…_

"So, where do you want to go?" "Huh?" Claus took a swig of his mug with a weary smile, "For your birthday. Where do you want to go? We could go to the movies… go bowling… go buy something… whatever you feel like, we don't really mind." "Oh, um…", I began to fidget slightly, embarrassed and a bit overwhelmed, "That's okay, you don't have to do anything for me. I mean, I feel like I'm just being a bother, so you don't need to do so much for me. I feel like I'd be asking for too much…"

"Don't be such a downer," he chuckled softly, his tone sounding caring and warm, "You're not a bother. Besides, it's your birthday, so you should spend it doing something you'd want to do." _He's probably just saying that to make me feel better. I don't want to upset them though… _"Well, I guess we could look around a bookstore…"

v(-_-)v

_Everything here is so expensive, I didn't think they'd cost so much…_

I stood before a packed shelf in the crowded book store. It was a pretty high scale one, but the only one close to their house. Eyeing, nearly glaring, at the shelf of fictional works now seemed to have me in an awkward situation. _I guess I'm used to used book stores, these new ones are way too expensive… _"What's wrong?" I jumped at hearing Lucas's voice creep up on me from behind, he just seemed to be around when I would least expect it. "Huh? Oh, well…", I glanced at the shelf of outrageous books, "There's two books that I want, but they cost a lot. I'll go look for some other ones." The blonde took a quick look at the novels, then rested his bored eyes on me. "Which ones did you want?" "Um, "Gear Turner" and "Killer Wits", but it doe- What are you doing?"

He had plucked both titles from the shelf, softly placing both in the hand cart, "Getting you books." "But they're really expensive, you don't have to get them." He didn't even listen to my entire protest before walking off to venture a comic book aisle, either out of annoyance or stubbornness. I would assume both. _It doesn't seem as if I can just talk him out of it… I guess I should just watch what I do and say around him. _As a duckling would its mother, I followed Lucas to his location. He'd picked up a novel labeled "YOTSUBA&!" depicting a strange girl with green hair in the style of what I thought was a clover, but it looked like the cover was printed on the wrong side.

"Is that comic book backwards?", I asked. "Yeah. It's a manga.", was his quaint reply. "Reading them looks really fun.", I was doing my best to stir some sort of conversation. He only nodded at the remark, adding the graphic novel to the cart before sifting through the sections presenting "Yu Yu Hakusho" and "Skip Beats". _He's not that interactive. I'm not usually either, but he seems more anti-social. I didn't think a lot of older people would act like he does, he's definitely interesting._

_Claus POV_

The moment my brother and Zero had departed for town, I took a short peek in all the rooms to do a careful scan of the house. It wasn't until I reached the boy's room that I found what I'd searched for sitting on his bed, looking through a moleskin journal.

"Hey, er…", I called out to the ghost boy unsurely, "Who are you?" He glanced to me, talking slowly as if he'd just woken up, "Oh, you can see me. Well, since you asked, my name is Barri. I'm Zero's brother, if that wasn't obvious." Even if that seemed to be true, I was still unsettled by this child. "You're his brother but you're a…?" "A spirit? Yeah, I am, but I'm still his brother. I died for years ago in an accident, if you were wondering. Oh, and you might not want to tell other people you can see spirits like me; they'll either think you're a psycho or they'll go ape shit.", the boy huffed. _Is he really related to Zero?_

"Um, wow. You sound like-" "A little sailor?", he laughed sarcastically. I shrugged, "I was going to say "an alcoholic Englishman who needs soap in his mouth", but sure? So… can your brother see you too?" Barri took a moment to respond, thinking about his word choice, "Let's just say this: Everyone has the ability to ghost that are just mindless white sheets that float around. That's what's left of them when they die. Spirits, like me, are different. We're similar in life as we are in death; we keep our memories, personality, and such other things. Spirits can choose whether they want to be seen by people. There's an exception with a few special people, who can see spirits all the time regardless if they want to hide. You and my brother are like this. Oh, and I don't want you to tell him about us talking or being able to see me. The last time he talked about seeing ghosts and spirits to other people, it wasn't… pleasant."

"Okay, I won't," I said slowly, "And that… accident you were talking about, what happened?" His voice fell to a distant tone, "Do you think it's a good idea to ask a dead person how they died?" "Um…" Barri smirked playfully, "Calm down, I'm not mad or anything. Still… I don't like to talk about it, it's sort of a touchy subject. Anyway, it looks like we'll be living together for some time, so we should get to know each other. I'm sure that we have a lot to learn, and I look forward to it."

With a wave of the hand and an arrogant grin, the child disappeared like a passing wind. Needless to say, I was left standing alone, confused but oddly unfazed. _Well. That was an interesting experience. I can certainly say he isn't much like his brother, but they both seem to be a pretty odd pair._


End file.
